


The Price Of Survival

by Gravity_Piglet



Category: Hidden Block (Video Blogging RPF), NormalBoots
Genre: Other, Other tags to be added, Witch Hunters, Wizards, get out of town wizard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 15:12:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13484148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gravity_Piglet/pseuds/Gravity_Piglet
Summary: Jeff knew that eventually the witch hunters would come after him. Knew he couldn't hide his secret forever. Then the knight comes and Jeff is scared, terrified really. Imagine his surprise when the knight seems kind. When using magic doesn't grant him death but instead slavery to the kingdom.I may rewrite the summery...T_T





	The Price Of Survival

_Lighting eats the sky_  
_Dark clouds revealed by flashes of brilliant light_  
_Jeff dives in front of his friend_  
_Protects him from almost certain death_  
_Giving himself in turn_

Jeff turned over in his bed, the noises of night sounding loud in his ears. The rustling of trees beside his small home, the crickets playing tiny violins in darkness and the soft rumble of the tumbling stream against the rocks. It was about half-way through the night and his mind was still wide awake, refusing to quiet in the dark hours of the morning. It hadn't been his intention to start practicing magic, he was tired though, and the spells came naturally to him. They weren't big. Nor did they affect anyone in the town. A slight breeze swept through his room. A candle across the room was lit without his moving. Or a small splash of water spilling over the rim of the bucket. Soon enough, his mana was exhausted and he collapsed backward into his bed. He blearily fell into sleep, the bed hard beneath him and the blankets scratching his skin.

A sharp knock on his door made him jerk awake suddenly. “What is it?” he called out to the visitor.

“Mr. Fabre! I’d suggest you awake immediately, the witch hunters have come to town. The mayor is calling for a meeting in the town square.”

“Yes. Thank you. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Jeff stepped onto the cold wood of his floor, the heat of his body leaving into the frozen planks.

His heart was in his throat, terror was pounded through him. Did someone see him last night? How did they find him? Was this going to be his last day on earth? He threw on his clothes, the coarse fabric warmer that the cold morning air. He splashed water over his face and he felt raw with bitter ice. It brought him to his senses and he realized that if it hadn’t been him they were after it would be suspicious if he didn’t attend with the other villagers. The sun was blinding as he stepped out of his small house and onto the cobble street leading to the center of the town. His hands felt clammy as he approached the gathered group of people. He’d been living in the town for some years and had a relatively good relationship with each of his neighbors and at least knew most of their names. One of the friendlier of his neighbors turned to flash him a smile, "Aren't you glad that I sent Timothy to get you. You probably would have slept in if not."

Jeff grinned back but the only thing he felt was horrifying fear. The mayor was standing on the small platform stage trying to get the villagers to quiet down. He cleared his throat a few times before someone who was paying attention gave a sharp whistle and everyone slowly quieted. "I'm sure you all know why we're gathered here today. Someone from the knight's association of witch hunters has come to our village. I'll just let him explain."

The man who replaced the pudgy mayor was not quite what Jeff expected. He was tall, almost two or three inches taller than Jeff. But he looked more cuddly than intimidating. His voice was warm and he had creases next to his eyes which would make one assume that he was quicker to smile than frown. He flashed the town a warm smile and it was almost contagious, but the tension was still palpable. So thick you could cut it with a butter knife. He was unnaturally gawky, and Jeff could tell he was thin beneath his armor. He wore his brown hair medium length, swooping over his brow and green, hazel eyes. But Jeff knew you couldn't judge a person based only on their appearance, he had once seen a small round pink being eat an entire town's worth of food. And this man wasn't an ordinary person, he was a witch hunter, one of the most powerful people in all of the kingdom.

"What do you want with our town?"

"We're just a small village."

"None of us are witches!"

Some of the other villagers yelled agreement to the anonymous' words. The witch hunter looks unperturbed. "Now I understand that none of you believe that a witch could reside in your midst but we must check just in case. As knights of the realm we will not impose on you at all, and if we find that there are no witches in this town we will leave immediately. But it is our duty to do everything in our power to stop the heinous crimes of those called wizards and witches. They would like nothing more than to destroy your beautiful community."

Jeff let out a small sigh of relief that the knight didn't know if there was a witch in town. Must be a yearly check. It was still nerve wracking but Jeff felt a bit of the tension leave the air. The man smiled again and this time many of the people smiled reluctantly back. The mayor released the people after the knight nodded and Jeff went to attend his small trading stall. The good thing about the visit of the knights was that it increased his business quite a bit. The group that traveled with him sold him a number of things that he hadn't gotten before and he sold the servants and slaves souvenirs that he had bought from other travelers or made himself. It wasn't the best business but it paid the rent and he had a bit to spend in the tavern every once in a while. Especially on days like this when business was hot. Even with the extra cash from selling things at over-exorbitant prices Jeff felt a tingling down his spine all day and he kept looking over his shoulder in expectation that the knight would jump out at any moment.

He knew that it was unwise to go drinking at such a dangerous time but he couldn't help himself, he was just far too stressed, he needed something to loosen the tension in his shoulders. Jeff orders a beer from the tavern keeper and brushed his hair away from his eyes. He took it to a table in the back, saying hello to a few acquaintances on the way. He pulled his hair over his eyes as he sipped at the alcohol and watched the other patrons. Then the knight entered, surrounded by many of the villagers. They were all talking and laughing. He furrowed his brow, wondering why those who seemed so scared of the knight were now getting along with him well. He sat down at a table near Jeff and waved over a waitress, ordering his drink. "So, what really made you come to our town?" Roost asked, after laughing off one of the knight's jokes.

By this time Jeff assumed the man was inebriated because he gave an honest answer, "Actually, one of our technicians picked up the residue of magic as we were passing by."

The young woman who was the knight's waitress came stumbling out of the backroom carrying the drink but another visitor, not associated with the knight, grabbed her wrist and she tried to pull away, the skin turns red and raw from the force of the other woman's hand. The patron raised her eyebrow suggestively and grinned at the small waitress, saying something to her. The knight, evidently, had heard the words of the traveling woman and was determined to start a brawl in the middle of the tavern, and stood, toppling the chair he had been sitting on. He pushed the two apart and whispered something to the waitress. She fled. The traveler looked angry. The tall knight peered down at her and pushed his cloak aside to reveal the crest of the kingdom and the woman slunk back to her seat.

Jeff raised an eyebrow in surprise. It wasn't unusual for customers, especially travelers to harass the waitress, what was unusual was the knight's reaction. Jeff had never seen a witch hunter defend a citizen. As he pondered the new development and sipped his beer he watched the knight sit again. The villagers clapping him on the back he picked up the chair and returned to his previous countenance. Within minutes Jeff’s eyes began to water and he smelled the musty scent of fire curling from the kitchen shortly before the cook ran out of the back screaming, "FIRE!!" 

Soon enough the entire tavern was engulfed in flames, the bright light of the fire scorching into his brain and contrasting against the dark of the sky. Everyone worked hard to run for water, throwing buckets of water on the flames. Then a shrill voice echoed out over the general panic of the town, "Where is my husband! Joshua? Joshua? He said he was going to the tavern tonight, has anyone seen Joshua."

The wizard's eyes went wide and he ran around the tavern. He knew that Joshua had been in the bathroom when the fire started and he was probably stuck inside there. He began etching quick symbols into the dirt. His strokes messy and imprecise because of his panic. Even if he was to die because of his doing this tonight, it would be worth it. Joshua didn't need to die. He was a good man. He had a family. Jeff did too. But that didn't seem to matter in this instance. When the marks were etched into the dirt Jeff clapped his hands and clouds formed in quick succession above him. Water poured in a torrent onto the tavern and the fire was snuffed. Jeff sighed, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard the shouts of joy from the other side of the tavern. He turned to return to the crowd of villagers and see if Joshua was alright when he noticed footprints in the dirt next to him. The footprints were not his own.


End file.
